Free tool
IELTS Band Score Calculator
Set your four section scores and see your overall band, worked exactly the way IELTS works it. It is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band. One ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
Drag each slider to your section score. The result updates as you go.
Overall band
6.0
(6.0 + 6.0 + 6.0 + 6.0) ÷ 4 = 6.0, which is already a half band, so no rounding was needed.
- Sum of four
- 24.0
- Average
- 6.0
- Rule applied
- no rounding
How the overall band score is calculated
IELTS reports five scores: one band for each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, and an overall band. Each section is scored independently on the 0 to 9 scale in half-band steps. The overall band is the arithmetic mean of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest whole or half band. Every section counts equally.
Each input is a half band, so the average always lands on a multiple of 0.125. The rounding rule decides what happens to the in-between values:
| Average ends in | Example | Overall | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| .0 / .5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | Already a band, no rounding |
| .125 | 6.125 | 6.0 | Rounds down to the nearest half |
| .25 | 6.25 | 6.5 | Rounds up to the next half band |
| .375 | 6.375 | 6.5 | Rounds up to the nearest half |
| .625 | 6.625 | 6.5 | Rounds down to the nearest half |
| .75 | 6.75 | 7.0 | Rounds up to the next whole band |
| .875 | 6.875 | 7.0 | Rounds up to the nearest whole |
A worked example: Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 7.0 and Speaking 7.0 average to (6.5 + 6.5 + 7.0 + 7.0) ÷ 4 = 6.75. That ends in .75, so it rounds up and the overall band is 7.0. Half a band in a single section was the difference between an overall 6.5 and an overall 7.0.
Academic vs General Training
This calculator applies to both versions of the test. The overall band is averaged and rounded identically whether you sit IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training. The difference between the two sits one step earlier, in how many correct answers a Reading band requires.
General Training Reading needs more raw marks for the same band, because its texts are less dense. By the time you have four section bands to average, that difference has already been applied.
Frequently asked questions
Is an average of 6.25 rounded up or down?
Up. IELTS rounds averages ending in .25 up to the next half band, so a 6.25 average is reported as an overall band of 6.5. Averages ending in .75 round up to the next whole band, so 6.75 becomes 7.0.
Can I get an overall band of 6.75?
No. Overall bands are only reported in whole and half bands: 6.0, 6.5, 7.0 and so on. An average of 6.75 is an intermediate value that the rounding rule turns into 7.0 before it reaches your test report form.
Do Academic and General Training round differently?
No. The overall band calculation and its rounding rule are identical for both. What differs is how raw marks in Reading convert to a band before the averaging happens. General Training Reading requires more correct answers for the same band.
Is 0 a real band score?
Band 0 means a section was not attempted. Bands run from 0 to 9 in half-band steps, and every section score, including a 0, is averaged equally into the overall band.
Can one weak section pull my overall band down?
Yes, and by more than people expect. Each section carries a quarter of the average, so one band lower in a section moves the average by 0.25. That is exactly the amount that decides which way the rounding goes.
Know where you actually stand
A calculator tells you how scores combine. A practice test tells you what your scores are. Sit a full practice test and see your predicted band before test day.